An Alternative to Apollo War
by AccmZenni
Summary: What if Hestia was sent back to heaven accidentally by the Apollo Familia?
1. Chapter 1

Fanfic: In this world loki doesn't know Freya wants bell

"Kami-sama!"- Bell cries

"I'm sorry Bell, but its time for me to return to heaven"-Hestia says with tear stained eyes.

Bell cries as Hestia is beamed up to heaven, with feelings of despair and hopelessness. Hyakinthost's eyes widen as he realises what he's done, looking to his fellow familia members in shock, as silence falls on the City…

A month later…

As punishment of sending Hestia back to Heaven, the guild bans Apollo and his familia from the city, and to never have contact with Bell again.

Eyes red with tears, Bell lays on his sofa in the abandoned Church, seemingly giving up on his dream to become an adventurer.

*knock knock*. A man walks in, his fiery hair his most notable feature.

"Bell, this isn't what Hestia would've wanted. You need to get back up and accomplish your

dreams" – the Fiery redhead states, a voice filled with concern for his fellow adventurer.

"…."

"Bell, c'mon, its been weeks, your not just giving up on the dungeon, you've been practically starving yourself" – Welf emphasises by grabbing Bells malnourished arm.

"…"

"what about lily, are you really going to let her to back to adventuring with THOSE people?" – the smith angrily states.

This isn't the first time the smith had these talks with bell, he only hoped this would be the last.

"No"- bell replies with a tired voice

"Well then c'mon, you've got to get back to the person we all knew Bell" – Welf states, with a small smile as he might've gotten to the boy.

A few days later…

"So Bell, what familia do you wanna join?"- asks a curious Welf

"Well I was hoping to join the loki familia with loki-sama would let me" – Bell replies back with a small blush as he thinks of the Sword Princess.

"Woah, big dreams young man, I'm sure they'll let you in, you seem more than talented enough"- Replies a smiling redhead.

A few hours later..

The red eyed adventurer walks through the streets of Orario, head down as he could feel all eyes on him. Everyone had heard what the Apolla familia had done and most were giving the boy sympathetic looks. Most.

*bump*. As bell looks up, he can see a giant of a man(?), towering over him. Shivers went down his spine as the King, the only level 7 adventurer he had heard of was staring at him like a hungry giant ready for some rabbit.

"Come with me boy, Freya-sama wants to speak with you"

Bell gave a questioning look, but he wasn't one to disobey a level 7 adventurer.

At the Freya Mansion..

"Go in." – the Boaz voice echoed.

As Bell walked in, he could only see one person, her beauty more alluring than anything he had seen prior, as she looked at him, he felt the gaze? The person that had been watching him?

"Bell, please come in" – Freya states with a smile creeping up on her lips.

As Bell walks into the room, his eyes keep in contact with Freya's, not allowing him to look elsewhere.

"h-hi Freya-sama, w-what would you like to talk to me about?" – Bell asks

"I heard the news of Hestia's passing, I'm so sorry bell. But I have an offer for you. Join my familia and I promise you won't ever be hurt again"- Freya states as she offers her hand to him.

Bell, both happy and curious that one of the strongest familia would go out of their way to recruit him stares at Freya. The alluring voice and the beauty making him want to grab her hand, but as he does, an image of Aiz pops into his mind. He retracts his hand, as Freya's smile dies.

"Thank you so much Freya-sama for this opportunity but I have already decided to join the Loki familia if they would have me"- Bell states, scared as turning her down might lead to his end right here and now.

Freya, her face blank but her thoughts raging asks "why? Why isn't my charm working on him?".

Well that's a loaded question. Bell a sweat dropping down the side of his face replies "Well I've had so many experiences with them before and they've helped me so much, so I though I would join their familia and repay their kindness"- Bell loosens up though he had avoided a magic spell.

"Are you sure Bell, you would have more than a good time here, and would be trained by the best, as you know we have the only level 7 adventurer in Orario Bell. Are you sure you would like to pass up this opportunity" -Freya, calm and collected makes a point no adventure would refute.

Unless the adventurer was Bell. His heart set on Ais and his mind set on joining the Loki familia, he replies back to Freya;

"I'm sorry, I just know the Loki familia better, please done take this as an insult, if I had not had a connection to them, I would have been begging for a chance to join you haha-ha."

Freya, now visibly displeased states "ok, you may leave".

She wanted to stop him and force him into joining her familia but it seems his glow would disappear as it had earlier when Hestia was sent back. Well it wouldn't be too long before Bell was hers.

Once Bell had left the mansion, Freya asked her Boaz "How are the preparations against the Loki familia?"

"Soon we will be ready"- A firm voice replies.

Back to Bell..

In front of the Loki mansion, a trembling bunny stands.

"May I speak to Loki-sama"- Bell shouts just as two doors open the gate

"Come with us"- a plain-looking adventurer states. As bell follows them in, the ends up in Loki's quarters.

"Ahh so the super rookie wants to join my familia, was wondering what time ya would show up"- Loki replies with her casual demeanour

As Bell makes his case how her familia would be a good match for him, the door opens and a blonde-haired pallum enters the room. With a smile on his face, he looks first at Loki, then at the bunny-like human staring back at him with surprise.

"You asked for me, Loki-sama"- the pallum states, still with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, the bunny wants to join, what d'ya say?"- Loki asks, wanting to get her familia's captain opinion.

"Well, level 2, brave, already known in the familia (the image of a annoyed Bete comes to mind), why not" – Finn replies as he looks at Bell.

A few minutes later..

"Here's my room. Shirt off 'nd lay down on the bed"- Loki instructs her new familia member. As Loki looks at Bell's stats, her eyes grow wide with the realisation of how this kid grows so fast.

"Say Bell, do ya know why you improve so quick?"- Loki enquires

"I'm not sure Loki-sama, why?"- Bell asks

"Ahh, just wondering"- loki replies, realising that Hestia problably didn't tell him and neither should she, the kid wasn't the brightest bulb and might accidently tell someone.

After bell gets his stats…

"Here's ya room, dinners in-a-bit so come down when yer ready"- Loki states right before she leaves.

Bell looks around, his room small but much better than the small space him and Hestia shared. He silently thanks her for all that she has done for him and makes his room towards the dining room

In the dining room..

Bell walks in to a massive room filled of adventurers from the loki familia, feeling a little bit overwhelmed. As walks further in to collect his meal, he starts to feel more and more stares coming from the adventurers

"Its that adventurer"

"Its that bunny guy who beat Ais's record"

"What's he doing here"

"Bell, come 'ere"-Loki shouts with an empty seat next to her. It was time she got to know more about her new adventurer

"hmm, Argonaut?"- Tiona asks in surprise

"Tomato kid? Whats he doing here?" – Bete shouts in anger and surprise

"that human Ais was with"- Leyfia states begrudgingly

"Bell?"- Ais asks questioningly

"So that's the new member" – Riveira states whilst getting a nod from loki

"What ya doin' standin' there lass, come 'ere and sit" – The dwarf Gareth states in a drunk manor.

Bell takes a seat and looks around on his table, as he sits with the familia's executives. His eyes after wandering lock onto the eyes of the Golden eyed Sword Princess, which are staring right back at him. Bete sees this, his face portraying that of a disgusted look while the other members of the familia look at eachother with smiles on their faces.

To break him out of his trance, the younger of the Amazonian sisters jumps up next to him and bombards him with questions "Hey Argonaut, what you doing here? Did you join the familia? When did you join?"

"Let him breathe"- The older sisters drags Tiona back to her seat

As to break the tension, Finn asks "So Bell did you like your room?"

"Y-yeah, it's very nice, t-thanks"- Bell replies in a scared tone

"So Bell, any reason for joining our familia"- Riveria teases as she looks at Ais with a subtle smile. Bell's cheeks begin to redden and around the table everyone laughs, except for Leyfia and Bete, who are staring daggers at Bell.

With a bead of sweat dropping from the side of his face, the young adventurer replies "Well you guys helped me so much and have been so nice, so I wanted to join the familia and someday return the favour", as he tries not to look at the sword princess.

A laughter erupts at the table with the Pallum saying "hahaha no need for that bell, you picking to join us is more than enough, we're fellow adventurers anyway"

As bell was now in the familia, Riveria could tease Ais about him openly, and she did "Hey Ais, aren't you happy Bell's in the familia now, you can give him more lap pillows… hahaha"

As laughter erupts once again, both Bell and Ais look at each other then downwards, as both their cheeks heat up. Loki, Bete and Leyfia also have red faces but that's for a whole other reason.

"tchh, im done here"- Bete angry leaves

With that the laughter dies down, and everyone else gets on with their meal, except for Loki who thinks 'this kid thinks he can steal Ais from me huh!?".

Late at night….

'Wow this place is amazing'- Bell thought to himself whilst exploring the mansion. After a little bit of looking around, he walks into the indoor training area. Only one person was there, using her sword skills on a practice dummy. As the door closes, she turns around to see who's there.

"Oh Bell"- Ais states as she puts the sword into her sheath and brushes her hair behind her ear.

"H-hi Ais,…." – He stutters, only thing he can think of is 'wow'.

"…."

"would you like a sparring partner?"- Bell asks hoping for a chance to stay with her

"Sure"- Ais smiles back

"This could be interesting" -states Riveria, hiding with the Hyrute sisters, who had been secretly been looking at the interaction of Bell and Ais

Half an hour later…

As their weapons clash and his Hestia knife being slashed away, Bell feels an irresistible urge and leans into Ais closing his eyes, as their lips touch, Ais closes her eyes and sinks into the kiss…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" -The Hyrute sisters and Riveria scream

Hearing the scream, Bell and Aiz quickly separate, bright red cheeks shining on their faces. The three Loki Familia ladies walk up to Bell and Ais with with bright smiles covering their faces.

"So, this is why you wanted to join our familia huh" – Tione states with a knowing look.

"Argonaut-kun your so bold, not even a day in our familia and our already going for it"- Tiona states as she laughs. Ais, embarrassed looks down, as she knows next if Riviera's teasing.

"That's enough let's give them their privacy"- Riveria says as she leaves with the sisters, winking at the two caught in the act.

Next day at Breakfast….

Ais is already sitting down with the rest of the familia executives eating breakfast as Bell walk in. As soon as he sits down next to Loki after grabbing his meal, he tries not to look in Ais's direction, although the eyes of the ladies which caught him yesterday are on him.

"Say Bell, you had a good night?"- One Hyrute sister asks

"Mr Argonaut did you sleep well?"-The other sister asks

As Bell's cheeks begin to heat up, the other members get curious of the teasing, so Loki asks "What happen'd?"

Eyes shift onto Riveria, who starts smiling whilst saying "Well last night we got to see a little sparing between Bell and Ais"

"ah, how did he do against our Princess"- Finn curiously asks

"Ohh, we can say he did well, didn't you Bell"- Tiona answered giving a wink at the little rabbit.

All everyone could see was Bell's face transitioning into brighter colours of red. As he looked around, all the eyes of the members of the familia were on him or on Ais. Tiona couldn't take it anymore, she had to let out the news, and so she shouted;

"Argonaut and Ais kissed yesterday"

"WHAAAAAAAAA"

Shock and anger fills the dining hall.


	2. Chapter 2

**LegacyZ- yeah, haha, I guess I kinda rushed it to set up everything**

**ACertainWriter- Thanks for the feedback, I'll admit my grammar was pretty bad and so was the pacing. It took a bit longer for me to write this one, so hopefully it's a bit better than the last chapter**

**Will Bell still have a harem?- Nah, this is for the BellxAis shippers, i'll probably do that in another fanfic**

Bewildered, the members of the Loki Familia first looked at each other, then at the Sword Princess and her rabbit. This happened to be too much for Bell, so he ran out of the dining hall like a scarred little rabbit, leaving Ais embarresed and surrounded by gazes.

"Tcch, I'm outta here," the werewolf practically spat, and left the dining hall. As the nameless members of the Loki Familia got back to eating, their leaders were still fazed by the news they had heard. The most angered by the news however had to be their leader Loki.

"The Rabbit huh? Thinks he can steal Aiz from he does he!" Talking to herself in an angry tone, she snapped the other members out of their state.

All Finn could do is let out a smile at the news, Gareth thought about teaching the kid a lesson so he wouldn't do anything stupid and the three ladies were laughing and discussing Bell and Ais's marriage, which made the blonde haired girl blush go even deeper.

The most emotional reaction however came from the one who admired Ais the most, the level 4 elf. Shaking and red with anger, it took Leyfia everything she had to think about her position and to not blow Bell up with her magic. Infuriated, she left the dining hall, her resolve magnified to not lose to the red eyed boy.

At the Belevolent Mistress…

As Bell walked in, he was greeted by a smiling Syr.

"Hi Bell, I heard you joined the Loki Familia. Good for you!". A blush began to develop as the older women was praising him.

"Thanks Syr," Bell stated as he was escorted to a table. As he waited for his food to arrive, he could see that he was being stared at by the people around him.

"So the rabbit joined the Loki Familia, huh!"

"He's so lucky."

"He doesn't deserve to be with them!"

As Bell was listening to the people around him, Syr returned with his food with a smile on her face. As the conversations about him continued, Bell couldn't handle it anymore, so he quickly finished his food and left for the dungeon.

Inside Loki Familia mansion….

After eating at the Benevolent Mistress, Bell had gone up to the 12th floor of the dungeon before making his way back to the Guild. At the guild he had received congrats by Eina who was aware that he had joined the Loki Familia. After collecting a large amount of valis for his efforts, he made his way back to the Loki Familia mansion.

Instead of talking to the members of the Loki Familia, Bell just headed up to his room. This was due to the fact many of the lower levelled members of the Loki Familia didn't like Bell. This was due to jealousy of how Bell levelled up so fast, and due to the rumours spreading about him and the Kenki.

On the way to his room, Bell caught the eyes of a small but fear-inducing man, and so was stopped by the Familia's Prum leader.

"Hi Bell, how was your adventuring today?" Finn asked whilst smiling at the nervous boy in order to calm him down.

"Ohh, umm, it was pretty good. I got to the 12th floor," Bell replied returning the smile.

Finn had always liked the young boy, but never thought of him joining his Familia. The Golden-haired man was mostly intrigued by the fast pace of Bell's levelling up. So much so that he had asked Loki of Bells current stats. Usually a person's stats were not to be disclosed, however as he was the leader, exceptions could be made. So, as he was told the boys stats, His eyes grew wide, as it had barely been any time since his level up. Although Loki told Finn of Bell's stats, she did not tell him the reason for his impeccable growth.

"Good, Good. So Bell, are you fitting into the Familia alright?" the Prum asked.

"Umm well, it has only been 2 days and I don't really know a lot of people, but people seem nice. Somewhat," Bell replied with a slight laugh.

"Well these things can take a little time, especially since your stealing their Sword Princess," Finn teased the boy. Bell's cheeks grew a little red at the comment and he didn't know how to reply.

"….."

"Well in any case, once they get to know you, you'll be fine. By the way, were you heading to Loki's room to update your status?" Finn asked curious to see Bells growth.

"Well actually, I was going to my room now and get cleaned up," Bell replied with a smile. The Prum leader looked down at the messy boy and let out a little laugh, although he was a little disappointed he could not witness the increase in the boys stats.

After the talk with Finn, Bell started to head for his room again. This time however, he was stopped by the green haired elf. As they were face-to-face, a small smile formed on her lips, as it was her chance to see what he thought about Ais.

"So Bell, how was adventuring today?" The Elf asked, still keeping a small smile on her lips. Bell noticed this and had a slight blush on his cheeks as he replied,

"Umm, it was good, thank you." Bell knew what was about to come, and the embarrassment had already started to sink in.

"Oh, Good. So Bell, have you spoke to Ais since the dining hall this morning? Running and leaving her alone during that time was very selfish wasn't it? Especially since you were so bold to steal her first kiss the night before," the elf stated as the smile on her lips grew further.

"Umm, well, umm." The white-haired boys cheeks grew crimson red as he was trying to form words. All he could do now was look down in embracement Riveria tried to hold in her laugh. She only wished Ais could be here.

Well her wish was answered, as the doors of the Loki Familia mansion opened and in came four adventurers. These were the werewolf, the Amazonian sisters, and the topic of Riveria's teasing, Ais. The group of four noticed one of their leaders and their new recruit and started heading towards them, except for a certain werewolf who just got annoyed and headed elsewhere.

"Hey Riveria, heyy Argonaut-kun!" The younger of the Amazonian sister's practically shouted the second name.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" Asked the older sister.

"Well we were just discussing a punishment for the young man here, for kissing Ais," The green haired elf replied, giving a small smile.

"Punishment?" Bell stated in a drawn out, high pitched voice.

This caused all the ladies to laugh, except Ais, who's cheeks just reddened. Sensing the awkwardness between the two members, Riveria decided to take the Hyrute sisters and leave Bell and Ais to themselves.

As they were now standing opposite each other, both red cheeked at too embarrassed to look at one-another, they just looked downwards, at the floor. This was until Bell finally got the courage to look up at Ais and ask her how her day had been.

"S-so, h-how was your day Ais?" Bell asked, stuttering and embarrassed at the blushing girl in front of him.

"Good, we just finished a buying a few things. How was your day Bell?" She asked with a smile.

"W-well I just ate and then stayed in the dungeon. I mostly just stayed on floor 12 and grinded monsters there by myself." Bell replied, though he looked down, knowing this floor was nothing compared to the floors Ais could reach by herself.

Ais noticed this and wanting to spend more time with him asked,

"Bell, we could train more if you want. We're in the same Familia now, so we don't have to hide it."

A smile grew on Bell's face and he replied enthusiastically

"S-sure! When would you like to start?".

"How about tonight, in the indoor training area?" Ais blushed whilst replying, remembering what had happened.

"O-okay." A blush formed on the boy's face, remembers their kiss yesterday.

As they went their separate ways, Bell headed for his room to prepare for his training session with Ais, but before the got there

"Stop. Come 'ere". A voice called out to him. As Bell turned around, he saw the head of his Familia, Loki. She did not look pleased.

"So ya though' ya can steal Ais away from me huh?!" Loki stated clearly drunk.

"N-no Loki-sama, I'm sorry," Bell begged, scared of her.

"Listen bunny, ya do anythin' to Ais and yer dealin' with me!" Loki spat out her words, along with some of her drink.

"Don't think yer can be with Ais 'cause yer part of my Familia now!" Loki stated with a drunk and firm tone

"Y-yes Loki-sama," Bell replied, looking down with sadness that although he was in their Familia, Loki still stopped him from being with the golden-haired princess.

As Bell watches Loki, she started to fall due to her drunken state. So he assisted her to her room. As she made her way inside her room, Bell only heard Loki crying and asking "Ais, why did ya pick me.".

Finally, Bell was in his room. He was thinking about what had happened earlier with Loki, in which he concluded that she had only said those things because she was drunk. As he finished getting prepared for his training with Ais, he let out a small smile, thinking to himself that they could finally train and be seen together now.

In the training room….

CHINGGG! Noises of weapons being hit together. The sword princess and the rabbit were in the midst of training. Due to the onlookers, both Bell and Ais were serious and didn't take any unnecessary brakes, or as a matter of fact, they barely even talked, only communicating when Ais told Bell what he needed to fix. Bell tried his best, trying to ignore the jealous comments of other members of his Familia, especially a powerful little elf's.

As the night progressed on, Bell and Ais found the were alone; even Leyfia had grown tired and left. Deciding it was time for a little break, they both sat down next to each other, snacking on some food Bell had brought for them.

"Bell you seem to be progressing fast, well done." Ais stated with a small smile. She had seen first-hand how fast this boy could adapt, but nonetheless, he still continued to amaze her.

"Thank you Ais." Bell stated as he blushed at her comment, and then took a bite out of his sandwich. However, the sandwich was too hot for him and he could feel his mouth burning as he panicked. Ais seeing this, quickly gave Bell some water to wash it down with, which he did. As he thanked Ais and gave the bottle back to her, his hand which he was resting his bodyweight on slipped, causing his body to go forward. As he opened his eyes, he could see that his lips were touching Ais's and that her eyes were staring at him in shock.

"IM SO SORRY!" Bell shouted as he quickly removed his lips from hers.

"I-its o-okay, it was an accident." Ais replied back, blushing at the boy who kissed her for the second time. Truth be told, she didn't mind it, but she wasn't going to tell him that anytime soon.

As both of them could only stare at each other, they heard footsteps heading for their direction. As they looked in the direction of the noise to see who was there, they were met with familiar faces. The Hyrute sisters and Riveria were smiling back at them however there was an extra person in that group this time.

"Finn?" Bell quickly said.

"So, this is how you train, huh." Finn stated with a smile on his face at the young adventurer in shock

"So bold Argonaut-kun, kissing her for the second time in two days." Tiona teased as she looked at the two.

"So, should there punishment be for kissing Ais two times?" Riveria asked in a joking manor.

"Well, Ais didn't seem to mind." The older Hyrute sister exclaimed while smiling, causing Ais to look down in embarrassment.

Bell looked at Finn, pleading with his eyes to stop everyone teasing them. This, however, failed and the teasing and embarrassment continued for a good part of the remainder of the night.

During the next morning, Bell and Ais sat opposite each other, with Loki next to Ais. Now she was finally sober, she decided to apologise (barely and reluctantly) to the adventurer she shouted at yesterday. As everyone was eating, Bell and Ais couldn't look at each other. Tione, noticing this and wanting to embarrass the two shouted,

"What's wrong Bell, you kissed her yesterday, but you can't even look at her today?".

"AGAIN?!" Loki shouted as she stared at the boy, who was now starting to sweat, while most of the other executives just laughed"


	3. Chapter 3

"AGAIN?!" Loki shouted as she stared at the boy, who was now starting to sweat, while most of the other executives just laughed."

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Bell shouted in a high-pitched voice, trying to defend himself.

This however, just caused the other members to laugh even harder. Flustered, the red-eyed boy ran out of the hall, leaving Ais to deal with the Familia members by herself again.

"Bell..." Ais said in a quite whisper as she watched him run off.

As the laughter continued, Ais could only look down at her plate with a little blush on her face. However, as the laughter died down, and she looked up, she could see all the executive staring at her with slight grins, except for Bete, who was glaring at her. Ais had a bad feeling about this…

"So Ais, you and Bell certainly have gotten close. Mind telling us your feelings for the boy?" Finn curiously asked.

She was on the spot. All eyes were on her as they all wanted to hear the reply. Panicking, she only said the one word which came to her head,

"Bunny."

Laughter erupted.

"HAHAHA, Ais you kill me!"

"Haha, seriously Ais you got our hopes up for a second there."

Ais could only look down in embarrassment as it was the second day in a row she had been teased this much. Once again, the laughter died down and everyone enjoyed their breakfast, that was except for the little rabbit who ran away.

In the Streets of Orario..

'ARGGG! Why did I run away again. Even worse, Ais has to deal with them by herself now!' Bell berated himself in his head, however like the wimp he was, he decided not to return to the Loki Familia Mansion to help Ais.

When Bell stopped running, he found himself in front of the guild hall, and decided to go on and talk to Eina, hopefully she would have some advice for him.

"YOU WHAT?!" Eina shouted in the soundproof room.

She was completely surprised at what Bell just told her. He had kissed Ais Wallenstein? 'The' Sword Princess? Twice!? And she let him? So many thoughts were going through her mind, but she had to hand it to the boy, she never thought in a million years Bell would be close to Ais, let alone kiss her.

"Umm yeahh, but I don't know what to do now. I don't want it to be awkward between us. And I'm pretty sure the other low-level members hate me for it now." Bell stated as he rubbed the back of his head. He viewed Eina as an older sister, so he found it easy to come to her with problems such as these, even though she was only his guild advisor.

"Well Bell, to be honest you completely exceeded my expectations. You know she supposedly turned down 1000 courtships? Guess 1001th was the charm. You should tell her how you feel, I'm sure she would accept whatever you had to say. And don't worry about the other adventurer's, give them time, and once they get to know you, they'll see what a nice person you are." Eina stated in a nurturing way.

"Thanks Eina." Bell stated as his resolve strengthened, and as he made his way back to the mansion.

Little did he know that the real Eina was tied up at his old mansion and the one he just talked to was an imposter.

'Hehehehe. Now Sir Bell will get rejected by the Sword Princess and Lily will pick up the pieces! He will be all mine.' The shapeshifting Prum though as a smile graced her lips.

At the Loki Familia Mansion…

As Bell opened the main entrance doors, he was met with the faces of Tione and Tiona. Both looked in surprise to see he was back so early, especially after what happened at breakfast. Believing he was teased enough in the morning for the time being, and because they wanted to go on an adventure with him, rather than teasing him about Ais, they asked if he wanted to go in to the Dungeon with them and Ais. Bell, happy he got to spend more time with Ais and his Familia members gladly accepted. All there was now to do was wait for Ais to come downstairs.

As Ais finished preparing for the dungeon, she walked downstairs and noticed a white-haired adventurer with the two sisters.

"Finally! Lets get going. Oh, and Argonaut-kun is joining us." The younger of the Hyrute sisters stated as she made her way to the door.

"Hi Bell," Ais said with a smile, causing Bell's checks to tint red.

In the 18th floor…

With Bell doing most of the fighting as to try to impress Ais, they had made it to the 18th floor. Just finishing the battle against the Goliath, the group was tired and decided to rest on the 18th floor. As they were eating, Bell remembered what had happened the last time they were on this floor, causing him to look down in embarrassment with his face bright red. This didn't go unnoticed, as Tione and Tiona were now bored and looking for something interesting to do.

"Say Bell, what's with the blush," Tiona asked with a slight grin on her face

"Wha'cha thinking about Argonaut-kun?" Tiona asked with a bright smile

"Whhaaa? Nothing!" Bell exclaimed trying to defend himself. His eyes however, were a dead giveaway, as he accidently looked at Ais, causing his cheeks to brighten even further.

"Ohh, thinking about the time you saw Ais in the pool huh?" Tione asked like she just cracked the code.

"Wow didn't think Argonaut had it in him," Tiona said joining the teasing.

As Bell was lost for words, he looked at Ais, who happened to be avoiding eye contact with him, with cheeks burning bright red. Bell knew it was too dangerous to run away, so he had to endure the embarrassment from the two sisters, and with Ais just sitting there hearing everything!

After a while, the two sisters left to get some supplies from Rivera, leaving Bell an Ais by themselves. To kill some, and because they were embarrassed to speak to each other, they decided to do some light sparing. While fighting Bell, Ais remember when he had seen her in the pool, causing her to blush and, losing control of her power, she accidently hit Bell to hard; knocking him out.

As Bell was laying there unconscious, Ais started to pet his hair. Then she moved his head up onto her lap to make him more comfortable, rather than lying his head on the ground. As she continued to pet his hair, Bell mumbled in his sleep.

"Aisss.."

As she leaned in closer, trying to figure out what he was trying to say, the hand she was leaning on slipped, causing her lips to crash onto his. Just at this moment Bell awoke, his eyes wide staring back at Ais's, both too shocked to move from place.

"Wow Ais, never expected you to be this bold," Tione said with a grin on her face as she was making her way back to the other two.

"Can't wait until the others hear what you just did Ais," Tiona said laughing.

Ais quickly leapt up, separating her lips from Bells. All she could do was stare at the two sisters in shock.

Little did they know however, there was a catman spying on them hiding in trees far away…

Back at Loki Familia Mansion…

The journey had been a long one, not through hard work, but due to the sheer awkwardness between Ais and Bell, and the constant teasing of the two Hyrute sisters. By the end of it, Ais and Bell couldn't even look at each other. As they all separated, Bell went into his room, he knew what would come next. Constant teasing at dinner, with an angry Loki. Although he had already experienced it twice, it was still too much for him. However, this time he vowed not to run away.

Bell was aware that he had done most of the heavy lifting on the dungeon even though his party was levels above him. He was also aware that he was close to level 3. So he decided to go to Loki's room in hopes for updating his status.

*knock knock*

"Come in would ya!"

Bell walks in the room.

"Ahh the Bunny. Wha'd ya want?"

"Could I have my status updated please?" Bell asked aware the person in front of him was angry at him for some reason.

"Yea, lay down would ya." Loki replied while gesturing him to hurry up.

*…Level 3…*

Eyes wide. Usually Loki would've been jumping with joy upon finding out that one of her familia members levelled up, but she knew the kid just wanted Ais, her favourite human, so she was a little petty about this.

"Rabbit trynna steal Ais…." Loki muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." Bell replied back, interested as to what his status was

"I SAID, you levelled up to 3!" Loki shouted back

Bell snatched the paper out of her hand and looked at it, his face portraying a wide smile. Afterwards, Loki and Bell finished the specifics and Bell left for his room.

During dinner time, Bell entered the cafeteria, he sat down in his usual place opposite Ais and ate with his head down, hoping he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself. However, instead of teasing today, he could hear the hate coming from his fellow lower. Apparently, a crying Loki about how Bell was going to steal Ais away had told everyone in the familia before Bell could announce it to the Guild. Even though, he was used to the other lower tier adventurers mean comments, he wasn't used to the glares of the upper-class adventurers. As bell looked up from his food, he could see the high-level people around him just stared at him, and in Bete's case, gave off a murderous aura.

"Congrats Bell." Finn said with a smile. He was the first one on that table to talk to Bell, and he knew that the other members might be a bit jealous of Bell's growth.

"Well done Argonaut-kun!" Tiona cheered.

As others on the table also began to congratulate him, he saw Ais stroking her hair to behind her ear, trying to get ready to talk to him.

"How do you grow so quickly?" Ais asked, anxious to know.

"Umm, I'm not sure myself. Sorry Ais." Bell replied, a bit sad he couldn't answer his idols question.

Ais noticing this replied back hastily,

"Don't worry about it Bell," Ais said as she gave him a smile.

As Bell smiled back, the conversation continued. The members asked Bell about his daily activities and his training in hopes they would find the reason for his high growth. Loki already knew and seeing how fast he was growing; she had to make a plan to separate them.

After dinner, everyone headed to their own rooms as it was getting late. Bell, on the other hand, couldn't sleep, so instead of laying on his bed he decided to explore the mansion. After taking a few wrong turns, he ended up in a room he hadn't seen before. As he was about to leave, he noticed the floor matt was a little out of place, so he decided to lift it up. Underneath he discovered a little door, so he decided to go through it. After a while of crawling through the cramped space, he noticed there were air vents and he could see into the rooms of his familia.

As he crawled past Tione's, he could see her planning for the Captain to marry her. Crawling past Bete, he could just see him brooding. Finn was just doing some paper work. He managed to crawl past a few others until he came across Ais's room. What surprised Bell the most was that Riveria was there, and they were talking about… HIM?


	4. Chapter 4

"Ais," Riveria shouted to get Ais's attention.

Rather than continuing to her room, Ais turned around and went towards Riveria's room, where Riveria motioned for her to sit down. Riveria believed this was the time to have 'the talk' about Bell.

"So, Bell seems to be adjusting to the familia, he even levelled up," Riveria stated as she smiled at Ais.

"Yes, his growth is very fast," Ais replied, showing interest in the boys growth.

"Not only that, he seems to be fitting in well here, especially with you."

"Yes…"

"Ais, how do you feel about the boy?" Riveria raised her eyebrow, curious towards the blonde-haired girls answer.

"I like Bell, he's a nice person."

Not satisfied by her answer, Riveria decided to pry more into the girl's feelings. "What did you think of kissing him?"

"Well it was… nice?" Ais replied with a heavy blush on her face due to the unexpected question.

Riveria smiled.

"She liked the kiss?!" Saying Bell was happy was an understatement. The boy's body was shaking, and he felt like jumping with joy, only he was in a very tight spot. If anyone heard him, it was all over, he would be hated for 'spying' on members of the familia.

"Oh then, would you like to do it again?" Rivera asked teasing Ais, who's face went crimson.

"M-maybe," Ais replied, not knowing why Riveria was asking these questions.

Bells face went into a deep smile. He could die happy now. Rather than spy on the rest of their conversation however, he decided to head back to his room and sleep; excited for the arriving days ahead. Little did he know someone had entered his room wanting to talk, and found him missing…

Next Morning…

As Bell entered the café for his breakfast, his thoughts were only on one thing. Ais. Making his way to his normal position, he was across the sword princess, smiling at her as he took his seat. The conversation he had heard yesterday was going on repeat on his mind. Had she really liked the kiss? Did she really want to do it again? Bell couldn't wait, he had to make his move today.

As Bell looked around, he noticed that today everyone was just eating and talking to each other rather than directing their attention towards him. He decided to take this opportunity to talk to Ais. As he motioned to talk to her however, he was stopped by a red head glaring at him.

"So, Bell, how's your adventuring going?" The question was simple enough but the less than hidden message was 'speak to her again and you will die'. Bell saw that Loki was in no mood to let Ais be taken from her so easily and could only gulp and reply back.

"W-well, I-it's been fine, I have started to get used to the middle floors now." Bell replied back as sweat drops dripped down his face.

"Hmm, good." Loki couldn't care less about how he was getting along in the dungeon. Truth be told she was interest in his potential, but now that he was taking Ais from her, War. She had to stop them talking and flirting in the dining table. Usually adventuring, Ais goes down to the deep floors usually with the Twins, so she doesn't need to worry about Bell tagging along and getting closer to Ais.

Bell looked back at Ais and asked how she was doing, effectively starting a conversation. As Bell gave a small smile, Loki could only stare at bewilderment as she had only looked away for a second to eat something, and he did that!

'How dare he,' Loki thought. She knew she lost as she couldn't scare Ais like she could the little rabbit. So once Ais started talking to Bell, there was nothing she could do. Taking this as a loss, Loki went back to eating her meal.

"Bell would you like to come with us in the dungeon today? We aren't going that deep this time." Ais asked, wanting to spend more time with the boy. Hopefully she hadn't sounded too clingy or needy.

Loki on the other hand practically spit out her food. Her plan was failing. Not only had she not been able to prevent the boy from speaking to Ais while eating, he was now going in the dungeon with her!

"Sure," Bell replied back, a wide smile present.

Riveria, seeing the smile, decided it was time for some entertainment.

"Bell, how about a wager," Riveria asked as she smiled at the boy.

"U-umm s-sure, what on?" Bell replied, unsure of what he was getting himself into.

"Well, how about an eating competition against Gareth. If you win, you get to take Ais out on a date. If you lose, you tell us what you were up to last night," Riveria stated as her smile grew wider.

'How did they know I wasn't in my room?!' Bell's thoughts went into panic mode. Loki was with them so he couldn't lie about where he was. How was he suppose to beat Gareth?! Why did he have to agree to Riveria, he could have just said he wasn't feeling well today. Well what's done is done. Bell looked at Ais, who had been staring down at the dining table with a small glimpse of a blush. He knew that it was now or never. He had to get this date.

"Ok, what are we eating." Bell stated with fierce determination.

This took the other members a bit back, they had expected him to blush and not be able to speak or run away again. But this. Even Loki's eyes went wide. The bunny wanted his princess, and it was showing. Riveria's smile grew wider. The boy had some backbone after all. She then went to the kitchen, and after a little while came back with what can be described as 2 barrels of food. She looked at the two members and stated;

"That."

Bell looked at Gareth, then at the food. The race was on.

Bell ate as fast as he could, he was barely even chewing, just biting then swallowing with loads of water. Although he was eating at remarkable speed, he still wasn't fast enough for the dwarf. Gareth was using both his hands and just swallowing the food whole. Around them the Loki familia were screaming with excitement, mostly cheering on Gareth.

Bell picked up his speed.

Gareth raised an eyebrow.

There was only a few pieces of food left for both of the adventurers. The cheering and screaming had died down, only wide smiles of anticipation left in their place. Gareth looked at the boy trying his hardest, and accidently got a piece of food stuck in is throat. As he was coughing loudly, Bell ate the remainder of his food, wining the contest.

A small smile was formed on the Sword Princesses lips.

The rest of the familia however were not happy. Most didn't even like Bell, so him wining against one of their leaders just annoyed them. Riveria, however, was happy with either result. If Gareth won, she would find out where Bell had snuck off to, however, now that Bell had won, she could 'accompany' Bell and Ais of their little date.

The next morning.

Since Bell was too full to take Ais on a date yesterday, it was decided that he would take her on one today. He had skipped going to the dungeon that day, instead wanting to come up with a plan of what to do. Truth be told, he didn't really know Ais as well as he hoped, so he didn't know what she liked to do besides going to the dungeon. He hoped today would change that.

As Bell walked out of his room, he was met by two smiling Amazonian sisters. Bell could only hesitantly smile back.

"So, Argonaut-kun, where are you planning to take Ais today? The younger one of the sisters asked Bell.

Bell did not want to answer; he knew if he told them he'd have uninvited guests. This time however, it seemed like luck was on his side.

"Let them be," Riveria stated as she walked towards the group. "He won fair and square, so he gets to take Ais wherever he wants without us interrupting him."

Bell thanked her as he walked of. What he didn't hear however is what Riveria said after.

"But he never said we couldn't join them."

The three ladies had deep smiles on their faces.

At the Top of the wall…

Bell had asked Ais to meet him at the top of the wall. He though they may as well start with a little training, eat at the Benevolent Mistress, then explore the city. He had the whole day with her to himself, and he was dedicated now more than ever to make Ais fall for him.

As Bell stared down at the city, he could hear footsteps approaching him. It was the golden-haired girl. She could see a formal fitting white and black dress, along with her sword for some reason; as he didn't actually tell her that they would spar, rather he just brought an extra sword with him. As Bell continued to stare at her, he could fell heat rush across his face, which caused him to look to the side. What he didn't see what that Ais noticed this and stroked the side of her hair behind her ear, with her face tinted a little red.

"H-hi Ais, you look beautiful," Bell stated. 'Beautiful?! She's stunning' he though.

With a slight smile, Ais replied saying, "You look nice as well Bell."

Bell couldn't help but smile at that. But this was the time for action. Bell explained for the first part of their date; they'd spar on top of the wall. Ais was more than willing, she'd wanted to know how much Bell had improved since last time.

'Chnggg." Swords were clashing against each other. Bell knew she was a level 6 and he didn't stand a chance, but he wanted to show her that he was getting stronger. No, he had to show her! However, there a small thing distracting him. Every time Ais tried to do a move which involved her jumping, he could see her underwear. And every time he did, he blushed and looked away, which means getting hit by Ais. Worst thing was, Ais didn't even notice! And he was not about to tell her something like that. It would've been the end of the date!

Bell decided he couldn't take any more of the beating, and it was time to move on to the second part of the date.

"Ais, do you wanna grab something to eat?" Bell asked

"Umm, Okay," the sword princess replied. She sheathed her sword and walked towards Bell.

At the Benevolent Mistress….

As Bell and Ais walked into the Benevolent Mistress, all eyes were on them. The Rookie who was now in the Loki Familia and the Sword Princess. At the door, Syr had met them and escorted them to their place. At first, Bell noticed she looked shocked seeing him with Ais, but then she regained her posture and acted normal.

Whilst eating, Bell and Ais talked about the guild, Ais explained the deeper floors of the dungeon to Bell, and then they talked about their training. As Ais carried on explaining how Bell can improve his form, all Bell could do was stare, thinking how beautiful she looked.

This didn't go unnoticed by Ais however, as she was now blushing and had started to stutter. Ais wasn't used to this… feeling? The feeling of this type of embarrassment that is. Bell had to keep the flow of conversation going, so it wouldn't become too awkward for them.

"So, umm Ais, I heard the familia's going on another expedition in a couple of days. How are your preparations going?" Bell asked, reigniting their conversation

On the other side of the bar…

"Nice save Bell," the older of the Amazonian twins said.

Riveria and the twins had been stalking the two adventures but making sure to keep a safe distance so they wouldn't be noticed. Back at the wall, they found the situation of Bell blushing because of Ais, well, hilarious. But now, they were hungry as well and were glad that Bell chose a restaurant to go to.

A little while later…

Bell and Ais had finished their dinner and went around the city. The city looked amazing, mostly due to the sunset, but Bell couldn't take his view off of Ais. As they had stopped on a small cliff overlooking a waterfall, Bell knew it was time to make his move.

He turned his head to the side and looked at Ais. She noticed this and turned to look at him, with her lips forming a small smile.

"What is it Bell?" Ais asked, her voice gentle.

"A-Ais," Bell shook his head trying to regain his composure.

"Ais, from the moment I saw you, you're all I ever wanted. You're the reason why I work so hard and want to grow stronger. A-Ais, I want to be your hero and be the one to protect you! I-I'm in love with you."

Silence.

A small smile formed on Ais's face. After which it increased until Bell could see the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. 'Wow' was all that Bell could think.

"Bell, I love you too!" Ais practically shouted in happiness. She was blushing red at what he just said but was too happy to be concerned about that. Bell had just confessed to her. Not only that, he wanted to be her hero. Knowing Bell, it wouldn't be long until he eventually reached her level. But she didn't want to think about that right now, all she wanted was to be close to Bell.

As the young adventures hugged each other and leaned in with their eyes closed for their first kiss a couple, they didn't notice 3 pairs of eyes staring at them.

"Oh. My. God! Can you believe it?! Argonaut-kun and Ais are a couple!" The younger of the Amazonian sisters said.

To say that the three ladies were in shock was an understatement. They had expected Bell and Ais to be too flustered to even talk to each other, and just give them entertainment, but never did they expect the little rabbit to be so bold. And Ais too, her confession was the most shocking thing of all. However, they were happy for the newly formed couple, and happy for Ais to have found her own hero. Still, the little rabbit will be getting a talking to, so he knows never to even think of hurting their princess.


	5. Chapter 5

"Umm, so Ais, I think we should head back."

"…. Okay Bell". Truthfully Ais didn't want to return to the manor as she knew there would be questions. A lot of questions. And since Bell had already ran off twice when asked about his relationship with Ais, she knew she'd have to deal with her Famalia members.

After their confessions, Ais and Bell just walked around, soaking in the beauty of the Labyrinth city. Conversation was kept to a minimal, not because they didn't want to talk, but every time their eyes met, their faces would become crimson red and they'd quickly look away. It wasn't long after they noticed it was becoming darker and their Familia members may get worried. So, as Bell suggested, It was probably the right time to head back.

* * *

Luckily once they reached the manor, they noticed not a lot of people were awake, so they headed back to their rooms in relative peace. Well relative in a way… as they walked past the guards earlier, Bell could fell that he might have to sleep with one eye open.

"…"

"…."

The golden-haired girl and her rabbit stared at each other, knowing it was time they separated and went back to their own rooms. The silence was telling, neither wanted to leave the other but they knew they had to.

* * *

Bells POV:

'_C'mon Bell, say anything!'_

"Umm…Errrr…"

Ais Smiled.

"Bell, I had a nice time".

"S-So did I".

"…"

"…"

'_She's staring at me. Is she expecting another kiss?' _

"_What are you doing Bell?"_

"_GRAMPA?!"_

"_Bell, at the end of the date, a woman expects a kiss! IT'S A MAN'S ROMANCE!"_

"_O-OKAY!"_

Flustered, Bell takes one step towards Ais. And another. Now face to face, Ais closes her eyes, as Bell leans in an…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO AIZ?!"

They both jump back.

"NOTHING…. I wasn't doing anything"

Leyfia stared at them, their faces both bright red as they've been caught in the act.

"Miss Ais let's go!"

Ais only nods, staring at the floor

"_I will not lose to you", the elf whispers as she takes the sword princess towards their rooms. _

"That was close"

"AHHH", Bell screams as he looks back towards the direction of the voice. A blonde-haired Prum looks back at him with a knowing smile.

"Looks like Leyfia just let you off with a warning Bell. Try to be careful where you…. show your displays of affection"

"WHAAAA?!"

"Get some rest Bell, tomorrow seems like it may be a long day", and with that, the captain of their Familia walks away.

* * *

"Ahhh", the rays of light hit Bell as he stirred trying to cover his eyes.

"It can't be morning already…"

Although Bell was a morning person, this morning isn't one he looked forward to. Today, he was going to tell the Loki Familia members that he was dating Ais

_Shivers went down his spine._

'_I wonder what they're going to do to me. Leyfia might just actually kill me this time. I can see it already, 'One Thousand Elf kills rabbit boy for taking the princess'. _

_Great'._

As Bell walked into the dining area for breakfast, all eyes were on him. Again. This time with 100x more intensity. The only place he could even think of sitting without being slaughtered was next to Ais. So, as he went closer towards the table, he could see the two Amazons and the jade-haired mage staring at him, smiles as wide as they could muster.

'_Yep, this is going to be a long day'._

As bell gained ground towards them, he could see the only seat available was one next to Ais. Was it by accident? Probably not. Did they already know? Almost certainly. So Bell sat down, next to Ais, looking anywhere but towards her.

"Ais, your face seems to be a little red, are you warm? Do you want us to turn down the heating?", the first to speak was the Younger of the Hiryute sisters.

Ais could only shake her head, her face becoming bright red.

"Are you sure Ais, you look really hot right now. Bell don't you agree that Ais looks hot?", The older sister stating with a small smirk, gaining giggles from the other executives.

It was now Bells turn to turn bright red, as he looked to the floor and nodded his head.

"See, even Bell thinks you're hot Ais. But it might be a different type to which I'm referring to".

And this got the executives laughing out loud.

'_Now's the time. Better than any. It's better to get it over and one with'._

"I h-have an a-announcement to m-make!"

All eyes were on him.

'_This is it'._

Bell cleared his throat.

"Ais and I are dating!"

Screams erupted. Chairs were thrown. Table were thrown. Even people were thrown.

"NOOOOOOOO", a random person shouted.

"HOW DARE YOU"

"YOU STOLE HER FROM US!"

Leyfia stood up.

Silence.

Everyone stared at her.

Finn was sweating profusely.

Gareth looked terrified.

Her eyes bore into Bell's soul.

"y-y-y- YOU! YOU STOLE MISS AIS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! PROUD WARRIOR, SNIPER OF THE FOREST…."

Bell ran.

Far.

He knew only death waited for him if he stayed. Ais would be okay. Hopefully.

All he could hear were shouts at he was leaving, and Leyfia chanting.

* * *

As Bell somehow managed to escape the manor, he stopped at the Hostess of Fertility, hoping he could have breakfast, since the last place he was… was a bit too… murderous for him.

"Hi Bell", he looked around to see Syr smiling at him.

'_I wonder how Syr would take the news', Bell thought to himself, as he headed into the tavern._

_..._

"NOT WELL. NOT WELL!", Bell shouted as he ran out of the Hostess, with Syr and Ryu hot on his tail.

5 minutes earlier.

"How are you enjoying your food Bell?"

"It's great, thanks", Bell replied, causing Syr to blush slightly.

"Not that im complaining, but why didn't you have breakfast with the rest of your familia?", Syr questioned, with Ryuu also taking an interest whilst serving another customer.

"Well, today I made an announcement and it seemed like the rest of the familia didn't really like it…"

"Hmm, what was it?", Syr asked, leaning closer towards Bell.

"That Ais and I are… dating", Bell replied back with a sheepish smile.

Syr's gave a smile, deciphering the information. Then a little frown. Which turned into a bigger frown. Which turned into her screaming and Jumping towards Bell; which caused him to run. Fast.

"BELLLLLLLLLLL!"

"COME BACK HERE BELL!", Syr screamed, running after him.

"MR CRANEL, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!", Next to Syr; Ryuu screamed, also running towards Bell.

"IMMMM SORRYYYYYY", Bell screamed back, running towards the labyrinth, unsure of what he was sorry about.

* * *

Sorry I haven't updated in months. Hopefully I'll be a bit more frequent and with longer chapters.


End file.
